Games of chance "The fat man" is coming - record bonanza in Spain
The whole of Spain looks hopefully to the Madrid Opera House: two days before Christmas Eve, the Spanish Christmas Lottery draw takes place in the Teatro Real - and this year it is paying out record prizes.
22.12.2025, 03:57
SDA
A total of more than 2.77 billion euros will be distributed - around 70 million euros more than last year. The ceremony begins on Monday at 9.00 am. Founded more than 200 years ago, the lottery is considered the oldest in the world and is also known as the largest raffle due to the total amount.
Only a minority escape the mass euphoria - millions take part. Everyone is hoping for "El Gordo", the "big one" - because that's what the main prize is called. It amounts to four million euros for an entire ticket. This year, it will be paid out 198 times - five times more than in 2024. The background to this is the special system of this lottery: each of the 100,000 ticket numbers is issued and sold more and more frequently every year due to increasing demand.
You can buy a whole ticket for 200 euros, or settle for one or two ten-dollar tickets for 20 euros each. Many friends, families, work or club colleagues and even the inhabitants of entire villages often get together to take part and share the excitement. Statistically speaking, every Spaniard spent 76.08 euros this year, 2.20 euros more than last year.
An audience of millions cheers in front of the TV screens
Overall, 70 percent of the sales revenue goes to the winners. This income has risen continuously in recent years and now stands at almost four billion euros.
The winning numbers are sung out by pupils from the traditional San Ildefonso boarding school. There are two lottery drums. The first, larger one contains 100,000 wooden balls with the ticket numbers, while the second contains a good 1,800 wooden balls with the winning amounts. During the draw, two balls always fall out of the two drums into a glass bowl at the same time.
As numerous smaller prizes are drawn in addition to the main prize, the ceremony usually takes four to five hours. That's how long an audience of millions sits on site and in front of live TV screens at home, in cafés and stares spellbound at the stage. Work also comes to a standstill in many offices. It is a ritual that is an integral part of the pre-Christmas period for Spaniards.
